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Shukaku's strange behavior naturally drew the attention of the few people present.
Inside a nearby hidden residence, a young red-haired man quietly observed the situation on the battlefield through the Eye of Sand. His face tightened, and he muttered to himself:
"Who could have provoked such intense hatred from Shukaku?"
At that moment, his brows furrowed, and he spoke in surprise:
"This is bad! Shukaku wants to leave the battlefield now, and Bunpuku's consciousness has been completely suppressed!"
As he finished speaking, Shukaku's face displayed an extremely human-like expression of rage. Its brows furrowed, and its mouth twisted into a fierce grin as it stared intensely in a specific direction.
Without paying attention to Orochimaru and Manda, Shukaku's large body squatted down, the muscles in its hind legs tensed, and its massive tail pressed tightly against its body.
At this moment, Orochimaru commanded Manda to launch an attack. Before Shukaku could leap, Manda's terrifying strike interrupted it.
"Boom!"
The violent impact echoed across the battlefield as Shukaku's claws dug deeply into Manda's head, and its enormous body was forced to slide backward.
The two creatures were locked in a standoff.
"You damn pests! How dare you interrupt me at a time like this!"
Shukaku, frustrated from having its leap disrupted, growled at Manda with a vicious expression.
Manda, unbothered, continued to use its massive body to restrict Shukaku's every movement. Even though its giant form coiled tightly around Shukaku, it was visibly trembling.
"Orochimaru, I've done what you asked. The rest is up to you. Don't forget, I want 200 corpses!"
Manda's low voice hissed as its serpent eyes stared at Orochimaru perched on its head.
Having bought enough time, Orochimaru remained expressionless and dashed toward Shukaku's head.
The moment Orochimaru's foot touched Shukaku's head, Manda abruptly disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving the world behind.
Realizing someone had landed on its head, Shukaku was filled with rage and roared:
"You bastards! How dare you stand on my head! I swear, I'll tear you all apart!"
Ignoring Shukaku's anger, Orochimaru's expression remained cold and silent as he swiftly moved toward the location of the jinchūriki.
In the hidden residence, the red-haired man's previously relaxed expression became serious once more. He muttered:
"Although he managed to temporarily prevent Shukaku from leaving, is he now trying to find the jinchūriki to make Shukaku disappear for good? As expected of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. However, I won't let you succeed."
A sharp gleam flashed in the young man's dark eyes.
As Orochimaru sprinted across Shukaku's head, his serpent eyes gleamed coldly when he spotted a sunken area of sand in the distance.
"That must be it, where the jinchūriki is located!"
"You filthy insects! What are you trying to do to me!?"
Shukaku also realized Orochimaru's intention. Its expression twisted with fury as it slammed its palm toward its own head.
"Boom!"
The massive hand struck its own head, but Orochimaru dodged in time. He wasted no time, quickly advancing toward the jinchūriki's location once again.
As he neared the jinchūriki, his eyes grew cold, and his hands quickly formed seals. In a hoarse voice, he muttered:
"Ninjutsu: Twin Snake Sacrifice!"
At Orochimaru's command, two massive, colorful snakes suddenly appeared out of thin air beside the monk, who seemed to be meditating in the sand. Their gaping jaws lunged toward the monk with deadly speed.
However, just as they were about to strike, countless golden kunai suddenly rained down from the sky!
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
With sharp whistling sounds, the golden kunai pinned the two enormous snakes to Shukaku's head like sturdy nails.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening as he thought to himself:
"As expected, someone is controlling Shukaku from the shadows!"
At that moment, Shukaku's second attack was already aimed at Orochimaru, forcing him to retreat to a safer position, frowning deeply.
Just then, a figure slowly floated down from the sky.
The figure stood atop a cloud of floating golden sand. He had messy red hair and dark circles around his eyes. Though there were traces of injury on his body, his face remained calm.
"Orochimaru of the Sannin, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've already met Jiraiya and Tsunade, and the results didn't disappoint. I wonder what kind of impression you'll leave on me."
The young red-haired man spoke in a calm tone, his voice echoing from above.
Upon seeing his appearance, Orochimaru's expression turned extremely grim.
After hearing the man's words, Orochimaru's face grew even more sullen, and in a hoarse voice, he slowly said:
"So, it's you. You've been manipulating Shukaku from the shadows. Judging by the looks of it, Jiraiya and Tsunade did quite a number on you. That's why you're hiding and playing these petty tricks, isn't it?"
Even though the young man's expression remained calm, his face darkened slightly as he replied in a low voice:
"It seems I'm going to be disappointed. Orochimaru of the Sannin, you're just another fool who likes to talk big."
Unfazed, Orochimaru maintained his expression, his snake-like eyes locked on the young man. A cold smile crept onto his lips as he said:
"Heh, to be able to control Shukaku, you must not be an ordinary person. Tell me your name."
The young man's expression grew colder as he replied in a frigid tone:
"Rasa of the Sand. The man who will bury you here."
Hearing his name, Orochimaru muttered softly to himself before speaking quietly:
"So, you're the one responsible for commanding Shukaku... turning Konoha into this state."
Orochimaru glanced around at the devastated village, now unrecognizable from its former self.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Rasa's face grew serious as he calmly responded:
"This is just the inevitable result of Shukaku's appearance. And do you think Konoha will still exist after tonight? You should know who our real ace in this war is."
Orochimaru's expression remained cold, his snake-like eyes glimmering with an unreadable light.
However, just as Rasa thought his words had unsettled Orochimaru, Orochimaru coldly stared back at him, his voice rasping:
"I don't care about anything else. I only care about one thing right now, Rasa. You will die by my hands. No exceptions!"
For some reason, when Rasa saw the gleam in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes, he felt a brief moment of fear.
Although the feeling vanished in an instant, it left a shadow in his heart.
He glared at Orochimaru and thought to himself:
'I must kill you here today!'